Philipp menges



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

. P. MENGES PIANO ACTION.

Patented July 7, 1885.

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(No Model.) i 2 Sheets+-$heet 2 P. MEN GES.

PIANO ACTION.

No. 321,517. Patented July 7, 1885:

WITNE55E5 INVENTPDFQ M- yzwm 14 UNITED STATES PATENT @EEICE.

PHILIPP MENGES, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

PiANO-ACTION.

QPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 321,517, dated July 7,1885.

. Application filed February 16, 1885.

the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Piano-Action, of which the following specification is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improvement in piano-actions, and more particularly to an improvement in the construction described by me in a pending application for a patent filed July 11, 1884, Serial No. 137,442. In that application I have described a jointed jack so constructed that the two arms of the jack are in line when the key is first depressed and out of line after the hammer has struck the string.

The present invention has for its object to prevent the hammer from frictioning too tightly against the back-check after a forcible depression of the key. To this effect I have provided the hammer-shank with a stop,

which bears against the upper edge of the lower jack-arm, all as hereinafter more fully pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side view of my improved piano-action, showing the key depressed. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the key raised. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 show modifications of the invention.

The letter a represents the key of a piano. 7) is the bottom piece. 0 d are the lower and upper arms of the jointed jack pivotally connected. f is the regulating-rail; g, the regulating-screw; h, the hammer-butt; i, the hamtrier-flange; j, the hammer; 7c, the back-check, and Z the hammer-rail, all as described in the application for a patent hereinbefore referred to. As described in said application, the two arms 0 d of the jack are in line when the key is raised. On the depression of the key, after the hammer has struck the string, a projection, c, on the arm 0 strikes the regulating-screw g, and is thrown back.- ward, thus causing the two arms of the jack to form an obtuse angle. The length of the jack being thus diminished, the hammer falls back against the back-check is. Now,

in case the key is violently depressed, the

(No model.)

hammer falls back with considerable force, and it is possible that it frictions too strongly against the back-check, thus causing a failure of the hammer to advance properly during the next depression of the key. To avoid such an accident is the object of the present invention, now to be described.

I provide the hammer-shank m with an in 'clincd stop, a, at a short distance back of the jack. This stop is preferably cushioned in the usual manner, and adapted to come in contact with an extension, 0, of arm 0, said extension being beyond the pivotal connection of arm a with arm (I. The object of the stop a will be readily understood.

\Vhen the key has been depressed violently and the hammer has a tendency to fly back too far, its back-throw is checked by the stop a as it strikes the projection c of the arm 0. At the same time the arm a is prevented from flying back too far by its coming in contact with the stop a. In this way the stop 11 serves as a double check in, first, preventing directly the hammer from receding too far, and in, secondly, preventing the two arms of the jack from assuming too acute an angle.

In Fig. 3 I have shown the stop to be made adjustable. In that case the stop a is re tained and used as a re-enforcing piece. It is, however, made shorter than in Figs. 2 and 1. Through the stop a and hammershank m passes obliquely a screw, 0, provided with a cushioned head, 1).

This head forms the stop proper, and by adjusting the screw the back-throw of the hammer may be correspondingly adjusted.

In Fig. 4 I have shown the edge 0 of the arm 0 to be cushioned, while the stop n is made in the form of a small projecting lug on the hammer-shank.

The invention may be applied to square, upright, and grand pianos.

The edge of rail f, which bears against jack 0, is shown to be straight. If desired, it may be made curved, or the opposing edge of jack 0 may be curved, as shown in said application No. 137,442. This construction is shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, which shows also the upper arm, (Z, of the jack to hammer-shank m, carrying; hammer j and have the extension which bears against stop stop, and with baelccheck k, the stop being [0 n in place of having such extension on the adapted to bear against the extension of the lower arm. jack, substantially as specified. 5 I claim as my invention- PHILIP]? MENGES.

The combination of jack composed of two W'itnesses: pivoted arms, 0 d, of which one has an ex- F. v. BRIESEN,

tension beyond its pivotal connection with B0131. ROY. 

